The Opelousas courier., 1887-05-07
The Hunt Bolt.

That staunch Democratic daily, the N. o.
States, has this to say about the Hunt bolt:
The Hunt bolt in 1884, on the other hand
has not single redeeming feature A cor.
respondent of the New York Times picked up
o rumor on the streets that Mr.. John Fitz-
patrick. who bossed the convention that nom-
mated Mr.. Hunt in 1882, had sold the success
sion to Gen. Meyer for $4,000. Everybody
who is acquainted with current events. knows
that for years past the only business OF the
correspondent of the New York Times in New
Orleans has been TO gather up all the defama-
tory rumors concerning the leaders of the
Democratic party, add horns and hoofs to
them and then send them, through his paper,
broadcast over the country. Indeed, since
the days of Radicalism, there has not been in
the South yiler defamer of the Democratic
party and the Southern people than this same
correspondent. from whose lecherons brain
came the poison pollen which engendered
that sweet scented political blossom, the
Hunt bolt of 1884. AS We stated in our pre-.
vious article no investigation was made OF
this story. From the telegraphic columns OF
an unscrupulous and irresponsible paper IN
New York it was plucked with eagerness as
an excuse to run Mr.. Hunt outside Of any
Democratic nomination that might be made.
On the strength Of that story Mr., Hunt was
nominated by self-constituted committee,
seIf-styled reform convention nearly month
before u Democratic primary had been held,
and the bold and audacious. not to say lnso.
lent announcement made that the Democracy
of the First District had assembled in conven-
tion and the nominee was Mr.. Hunt. How
the canvass of Mr.. Hunt was carried on by
the boilers, even alter the fair and square
nomination of Colonel st. Martin, o lifelong
Democrat, pronounced anti-ring man, sup
porter of General Ogden against Governor
McEnery, was told in our article of some days
since, and it is needless to repeat that story
now.
81 inst, Zoo nj
the Hunt bolt, other than the story OF the
New York papers correspondent. Was that
story true3 If SO Col. st. Martin conld not
have been minated. If it was true let the
friends of General Nichols put Mr. John
Fitzpatrick on the stand. He bossed the con
vention that nominated Mr.. Hunt in 1852
and Col. st. Martin in 1884, and he is now a
warm supporter of Senator Gibson and Cen
eral Nichols. Let him be interrogated.
And now, 60 bring this long article TO a
close, we defy the editor of the Shreveport
Times, or any one else, to deny that MIR. Hunt
was nominated by self-Gonstituted conven'
ton twenty days before Democratic prin,'
ary was held. We defy him to deny that the
functionaries of the Democratic party peti
toned, in almost humble terms. the managers
of the Reform Democracy to take an even dl
vision of the Commissioners of Election and
bring the issue before the Democracy OF the
district in regular primary elections, and that
tH0 4ACAUInC1S AOAnSCO " w oV' 49, AN@y
him to deay that II. G.. Warmoth, Fedora
Supervisor George Norton, James Lewis, and
the whole Radical customhouse gang were
the active allies of the Reform Democracy in
the Hunt bolt. We defy him to deny that
the managers of tho Reform Democracy II
1884, iu the First district. were not the insti
gators and organizers, aud prosecutors OF the
attempt made, through Federal Supervisor
and q Federal court, to strike seven thousand
Demo Gratis from the registration lists. We
defy him to deny that, had that outrage sue
ceeded, it would have elected Mr.. Hunt ia
Congress and turned over the State to
Blaine. And, finally, we defy him TO deny
that the Reform Democracy were licked out
of their boots, routed horse, foot and dragons
knocked out and wallowed in the dust, by
the gallant old st. Martin with the true
Democracy of the First District at his back
When the editor of the Shreveport Times
shall have answered those defes, or any one
of them, in a manner to confound the States
then, clothed in sack cloth and ashes, we
shall journey to his shrine at Shreveport, and
kneeling with broken and contrite heart
at his mighty feet, solicit with repenten
tears, and receive with becoming humilia
tion, that forgiveness which his overfiowins
benevolence and touching condescension ha!
already attended us; not, however, for hav
ing driven DIR. Beard off the Democratic
ticket, but for having sacrilegiously arraign
ed the shining hierarchy of Reformers witt
having bolted tho regular Democratic ticke
in 1884.